Leah Emily
by Bryn Elizabeth
Summary: Greg Sanders had made a lot of mistakes in life. One of those just so happened to be named Caily. But what he gained from that mistake became the most important thing in his life. What will he do when he loses that, his precious baby Leah Emily?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first CSI story, co-written with by best friend Mila

**A/N: **This is my first CSI story, co-written with by best friend Mila. The funny thing is, I watch like 15 episodes of CSI a week and I don't think she's seen one, until she watches the one I gave her on tape. Lol. Yeah, I love Mila, and she did a great job. Read and Review and make us happy!!

**Disclaimer: **We do not own CSI, as much as we'd like too. Because then all my AU characters would be in it and people wouldn't leave. So Greg and all the other's aren't mine, I just want to play around with them for a while and manipulate their lives. Yay us!!

Late nights in the office, the lab. He always hated those. It kept him away from his friends, from sleep, from most things. Greg rubbed his eyes sleepily. But it didn't keep him away from his little girl. Greg turned to the little playpen that held his 18-month-old daughter, Leah Emily, only to find it empty. Greg shook his head, but he couldn't help but be proud. His little girl already figured out how to get out of her pen. Whoops. He probably should start to look for her, he thought. While he was wandering around the lab, Grissom came in, a bundle in his arms.

"Greg. Missing something?" He asked with a frown.

Greg turned around and sighed with relief. "Thank you so much.

"Greg, we agreed to let Leah stay here IF she didn't keep you away from your work too much and IF she wasn't a problem. Is she gonna be a problem?"

Greg shook his head. "No sir. I'll look out for her. Promise."

"She's your daughter. So you better stick to that."

Greg sighed as Grissom left. He turned to his girl. "Don't you make a liar out of Daddy now, you hear?" He said softly.  
Greg kissed the top of Leah Emily's head gently, putting her back in the pen. He turned back to his work, looking back at her every so often.

After he had done it, he regretted being with Caily. But now, he was glad he had. He almost, selfishly, was glad Caily had died, or else he wouldn't have Leah Emily.

Soon, she began crying quietly. "Hungry?" he asked in the voice he reserved only for her. That was one spoiled little girl, one spoiled little Daddy's girl that Greg loved like nothing else. He had never felt that way. It was all new, but the last sixteen months had been, by far, the best of his life. He picked her up, cuddling her to his chest.

Greg unlocked the door to his little one-room apartment. He had Leah on his hip and a bag of groceries in the other arm. With some difficulty, he came in the door, set the keys down, locked the door, and put the groceries on the table. He looked at Leah. She was giving him one of "those looks". So much like Caily.

"What? I'm getting better, I didn't drop the groceries this time" He said to his daughter. He laughed at the blank look she gave him. "C'mon. Lets get you something to eat and then we'll get you all cleaned up and ready for bed." He said as he threw his coat over the couch. He saw his daughter frowning and picked it up and placed it on the coat stand. Just like Caily would have expected him to.

And then it was bath time. He and Leah enjoyed this part of the day, especially on those long nights when Greg would run a big bubble bath and get in it as well. Because at heart, he was just an overgrown kid. Tonight was one of those nights. He played with his daughter in the tub, the two of them splashing each other and Greg tickling her. And when she started yawning, he got out and dried the two of them off, dressing himself and the baby, and crawling into the queen size bed with her asleep on his chest. Life was good most of the time for the Sanders.

Greg awoke the next morning, or rather late afternoon, to Leah Emily crying. "Hey, baby girl," he said comfortingly, kissing the top of her head. Leah was like an alarm clock. She always woke up and got his attention at the perfect time. He rubbed her back until she stopped crying and instead looked at him with big brown eyes exactly like his.

"Breakfast time," he said, picking her up and leaning her on his shoulder. He looked over at the couch, which had a large diaper bag perched on it. Ugh. Tonight she was going to the sitter. He hated that. He liked the sitter, but he'd rather be with his baby. He had considered quitting his job, because being a CSI wasn't the best job for a father with a young baby, but he loved it too much, and as much as they hated to admit it, his team needed him. So he found Beth, who watched Leah Emily most nights. She was a lifesaver, but he still rather would have been the one with her.

As he was thinking about this and settling Leah in her high chair, the phone rang. "Sanders," Greg answered, picking it up in one swift motion as he buckled the baby. He was getting the hang of the whole multi-tasking daddy thing.

He listened to the person on the other line and hung up, sighing. Beth was sick. Great. What was he going to do with Leah Emily last minute? No way he was going to let a stranger or daycare have his baby. So he did the only thing he could think of. He called Grissom.

"Well Sweet Pea," he announced after hanging up the phone, "You get to come to work with Daddy tonight. We're going to go see Uncle Nick and Aunt Sara and all those crazy people we love, and pray that I don't get put on a scene. Because if so, you're hanging with Wendy. Let's go."

"Hey baby girl," Nick said sweetly as he took the baby from Greg's arms, as Greg struggled to carry the girl and the diaper bag and the playpen and his briefcase when they arrived at the lab. "How's Uncle Nick's favorite niece?"

"Uncle Nick's only niece," Greg pointed out.

Grissom came around the corner with a piece of paper in his hand. "Hey, Nick, Greg."

"Crap," Greg whispered. That could only mean one thing. Wendy's office here he comes.

"You two have a DB in Henderson," Grissom announced, handing the paper to Greg. "Oh, hey Leah Emily," he said idly, putting his finger in the hand of the baby in Nick's arms.

"Wendy?" Nick asked knowingly.

"Hey guys," Wendy greeted. "Ooh, am I on baby duty?" she asked excitedly.

"Yep," Greg sighed, setting up the playpen.

"Yay!" she laughed. "Come here, baby girl. Come see Aunt Wendy."

Nick kissed the top of Leah Emily's head and handed her off to Greg who did the same thing and handed the baby to Wendy, who also kissed her.

"Let's go," Greg sighed, following Nick out of the lab and hoping that the scene would be easy to process. As much as he loved and trusted Wendy, he always felt best with his baby under his own watch.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I wrote this without Mila, as a filler because I forgot it earlier. It's short, but necessary and I like it. Tell me if you think it's too out of character.

As Nick and Greg rode to the crime scene, the car was mostly silent but for the radio turned on low. Greg was missing Leah Emily even though he knew she was safe with people who loved her. He just had a bad feeling about the night.

Finally Nick broke the silence, having been deep in thought about something. "Hey Greg," he said softly. "What was her name?"

Greg looked up. "What?"

"Leah Emily's mom. What happened to her?" he asked, drumming his fingers lightly on the steering wheel.

Greg sighed. "Her name was Caily Parker. She was gorgeous and a great girl, but in the long run it just didn't work out. She left me after two months. I didn't even know she was pregnant. About a year later, I got a visit from Child Services. Caily died of pneumonia and my name was on Leah Emily's birth certificate. So I have a two-month-old daughter."

"I'm sorry man," Nick said quietly, hardly being able to imagine that happening to him.

"Don't be." Greg shrugged. "After she left, we didn't have any contact. And, as bad as it sounds, if she was still alive, I wouldn't have my baby." He shook his head. "That sounds terrible."

"No it doesn't," Nick assured him. "You love Leah Emily. We all do. Don't feel bad about that."

"I've always thought," Greg admitted, "Of what it would have been like to have seen her birth, held her for the first time. But I'm just grateful for every day I have. I bring her into the lab because of how worried I always am of something happening to her." He chuckled. "I sound so sappy."

"You're little girl has just got you wrapped around her little finger. She's just turned you into a big softie." He smiled. "But you love her."

Greg nodded. "More than anything."

"I've seen you with her for the past sixteen month, and, while your being a big softie, I'm gonna go that way too." He sighed. "Greg, I've been thinking about adoption. I mean, the job isn't great for a baby, I see that, but I've always wanted kids. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm getting old."

Greg smiled. "Go for it man. I've seen you with Leah Emily. You'd make a great dad. Go get a baby girl to wrap herself around your little finger."

Nick put the SUV in park as Greg finished this thought, having finally arrived at the crime scene. "What we just said, stays in this car, right?"

"Definitely. This way our masculinity stays intact." Greg held out his fist. "Just between us."

Nick tapped his fist with Greg's. "All right, let's go process."

**A/N: **So, should Nick get his own baby girl? Tell me and me and Mila will think and write and the story shall unfold! Just you wait; the plot is about to thicken. A lot.


	3. Chapter 3

Dead middle-aged lawyers were not interesting. Who knew who killed the guy, or why? Who cared? And Greg was at the scene for four hours. _Four hours. _There was a serious lack of evidence on the scene. A bullet in the lawyer and a footprint was all. That was it. Yet Greg and Nick had to sit there and process and process and process, Greg calling Wendy every half hour or so.

"Okay, I know we have to be thorough, but come on Nick. Can we please go now?" Greg asked impatiently.

Nick chuckled. "So anxious to get back to the baby, huh?"

"I just have a bad feeling," Greg explained.

"I tell you what. You go to the Doc and get the bullet and you go back to the lab and run ballistics and be with Leah Emily. I'll call Warrick and we'll finish up here."

"Thanks. See you later?" Greg asked, feeling like he could hug his friend.

Greg and Leah Emily were in the lab, Greg waiting for the ballistics report and Leah Emily in her playpen. After a while, she started crying. Greg picked her up, bouncing her on his hip, trying to feed her and give her her cup, talking to her, but nothing he did calmed her. He felt horrible.

After a while, Catherine stuck her head in. "You two okay?" she asked concernedly.

Greg, looking almost as upset as his daughter, bounced Leah on his hip some more. "She won't stop crying."

Catherine held out her arms. "Come here, baby," she said in a sweet, maternal voice, taking Leah Emily. "Go get some coffee," she told Greg. "I'll take care of her."

"Thanks," he said, relieved, walking away, glad for the experienced mother and that Grissom hadn't come and got on him.

Later on, Leah Emily was sleeping quietly in her playpen. Catherine had _finally _gotten her to go to sleep. She loved the little kid. Well duh, _everybody _loved _his _little girl. Anyway, he looked at the clock and decided he had enough time to run to the bathroom and pick up the report before Leah awoke.

Boy was he wrong. It's like when you walk into a room and know that seconds before people have been talking about you. You get that... _feeling_. As soon Greg walked into the lab he knew something was wrong. Leah Emily was gone, and not like it had been the other night. _His _Leah Emily was gone. And lying in her playpen, on her pillow was a slip of paper with the words _.45 ACP, _in a hurried scrawl.Without opening the Ballistics report he knew that this was the type of gun in the lawyers murder. Without opening the report, he knew his daughter was in danger.

He ran, breathless, into Grissom's office, holding up the note, tears beginning to fill his eyes.

"Greg, what is it?" Grissom asked, worried. Grissom may not have been the best with emotions, but he knew something was horribly wrong with his newest CSI.

"She's gone," he choked.

"What?" Grissom asked. "Take slow, deep breaths Greg, and tell me what happened."

"She was asleep," he said, sounding like something was in his throat, trying not to sob in front of his supervisor. "I was waiting for the ballistics report, and I knew I had time to run and get the report and take a leak before she woke up. When I came back, I found this note, and she was gone."

"She's gotten out of her playpen before," Grissom said calmly, trying to reassure Greg. "She could be around here somewhere."

"No," Greg said tearfully, unable to control himself any longer. "I found this in her playpen. It's the gun from our DB tonight, I know. She's in danger Griss. My baby's gone."

Grissom pulled out his pager and dialed a few numbers. "We'll get the whole team in here. Don't worry Greg. We will find her, safe. The whole team will be on this. I promise."

Grissom gave Greg time to pull himself together while he went to get the team. A few minutes later, everyone was inside the small lab, crowded around Leah Emily's playpen and a shaken Greg. Grissom turned to Greg. Even though he thought it would be better if he explained, Greg insisted.

Greg sighed deeply. "Leah. My baby. My life. She's gone," he managed, tears dripping down his cheeks.

Grissom took over. "Team. Everyone here is family. And when something happens to one of our family, we all work together to help. Little Leah is special to all of us. And she is gone. Someone broke into the lab and took her. We don't know who. We don't know why. All we know is that this person is connected with the Lawyer Murder." He held up the note. Catherine went and put a hand on Greg's shoulder. He looked...blank.

"Well then, we have work to do. I think we should check for fingerprints, on the notes too. And footprints, even though its not likely." Sara said getting into her "work mode".

Nick looked at her, a frown on his face. "Greg, are you okay?"

Greg looked up at him, a hollow look in his eyes. "Do I look okay to you?" He said quietly. Then he turned to Grissom. "Where was security?"

Grissom frowned, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. "How does a toddler get kidnapped form a _Crime Lab_? A police-filled _Crime Lab_?"

"I think the question is, why was she here in the first place?" Ecklie voiced, having been called in as well.

Greg pulled his head out of his hands and looked up incredulously at the man with swollen red eyes. Catherine rubbed Greg's back with the arm she had around his shoulders. "Get out of here Ecklie." She looked at Greg with the same look she always gave Lindsey and Leah. "We'll find her. Don't worry."

Greg wiped his eyes. "In this job, we're trained to expect the worst. I've seen so much. The thought of that happening to my baby..."

Nick looked at his friend. "We will find her, safe, Greg. We promise." The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

No one quite knew how to comfort Greg. They had all lost loved ones, but never someone as important or close as Leah Emily was to Greg. Sara was the first to snap out of this. "All right. We need someone to go look for prints, someone PLEASE talk to security, then we need someone to look at the surveillance footage, and talk to the people around the lab." She said as she faced everyone. "It'll be okay Greg. I know it." She added softly.

The team separated to find any evidence of where Leah was or who took her. Wendy went to pull up the surveillance tapes of the lab and Grissom went to talk to the Captain and Heads of Departments. Catherine took it upon herself to go talk to wandering pedestrians and ask them if they had seen anyone with a small child come out of the building. Nick and Greg looked for fingerprints and Sara and Warrick went to talk to security. It was going to be a _very _long day.

No one had ever expected the Crime Lab to become a Crime Scene. Of course, no one would have ever imagined that Leah Emily would be taken. No one could imagine who would take Leah Emily. But the biggest memory was _why._ Was it a vendetta against Greg? Leah Emily was a _baby. _A sweet, innocent, baby. But more importantly, she was Greg's baby. She meant everything to him. Everyone knew that. Of course, Leah Emily meant a lot to everyone else at the Crime Lab. Like Grissom said, the team was a family. A family united to make sure their smallest member was returned, perfectly safe.


	4. Chapter 4

Late nights at the lab, he always hated those

Late nights at the lab, he always hated those. But he had to agree, this time, they were ABSOLUTELY necessary. The team spent all of the next day, and most of the night, dusting for fingerprints and analyzing tapes. Warrick went back to the original crime scene to hunt for clues there. Greg helped out, meaning he did what he was asked, but everyone knew that he wasn't _quite _there.

Greg saw Catherine coming up to him, a determined frown on her face. He looked up blankly. "Greg, you need to snap out of it! Leah Emily is God knows where and here you are looking like you don't have a brain! Think!" She knew that these words were harsh, he knew it too. But in truth, it was exactly what he needed to hear. He was standing around like an idiot while his daughter was missing. He smiled grimly at Catherine. She nodded. "All right, the tapes aren't really helping since someone messed with their positions. Security says that everyone they saw had either an I.D, had an appointment, or was someone they knew. A woman said that she saw a Caucasian middle-aged man walking out with a bundle in his arms, but she couldn't see the face. We have her with the Sketch artist." Catherine said, filling him in on the details as they went to talk to Grissom. "I hate to say this Greg, I really do, but this looks like an inside job."

A million thoughts were running through Greg's mind as Catherine filled him in. _No surveillance, I was counting on that… No strange characters, though I figure security wouldn't let anyone threatening through… Caucasian middle-aged man, doesn't everyone know how many people fit that description in Vegas? _And then the bombshell came. _An inside job? _He gaped at Catherine. Who, in the PD, in the lab, would want to take his baby away from him? Angry tears burned behind his eyes.

Catherine cringed at Greg's expression. "Sorry Greg, but we honestly have to cover all the possibilities. And this one is more likely than the rest. Grissom got the worker's logs from the other Heads and Sara is looking into it."

Greg frowned as they walked into the lab. Nick saw his expression. "No full fingerprints... sorry for all the bad news Greg. Maybe you should..." Nick started to tell him to go home, only to be silenced by his friend's look. Greg decided to try to figure out _why_ someone would take his child, rather than who.

He thought about the possibilities. Someone connected with the crime, obviously. But why target his daughter? Why target him? Click. "Grissom! I think I got it!" He called out unexpectedly.

Grissom whirled around. "You got Leah?"

Greg sighed. That made his discovery seem a lot less important. "No. I think I know why she was taken. The middle aged man is connected with the lawyer murder... he targeted me because he was afraid we would figure something out...He's hoping that Leah's kidnapping will keep us distracted..."

Catherine frowned. "Not following."

Greg turned around to her, frustrated. "Don't you get it? I'm the DNA guy... or whatever you want to call it. Which means there's something DNA related that will help us with the crime!"

Everyone looked at him blankly. "Greg," Sara said calmly. "Don't you think that's a bit of a stretch?"

"What else have we got?" he asked, irritated. "So far we have a piece of paper and a description that matches thousands of people in the area. " He sniffed. "I'm just trying to do whatever I can to get my baby girl back."

Nick put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We know. We all are. Come on, let's go talk to Wendy."

Wendy was examining the contents of Leah Emily's playpen with swollen eyes. "Hey guys," she said weakly. She looked up at Greg. "I'm sorry, I…"

Greg wrapped her in a hug as she sobbed into his shoulder and Nick stepped out, feeling a little teary himself and deciding to give the two a bit of privacy.

"Shhh, shhh, Wendy..." he stroked her hair as a few of his tears dripped into it. "We're gonna find her."

She sniffed gently, coming up and wiping her eyes. She went to turn away, but Greg gathered her back in his arms, kissing the top of her head. He held her tight, never wanting to let go, yet at the same time wishing Leah Emily were in the hug between them.

**A/N: **Greg/Wendy? Tell us what you think about that… Forget Hodges. Greg is cooler. Also, we need a name for our new ship. Grimms? Other suggestions?


	5. Chapter 5

Grissom couldn't help but think that Greg was on to something

Grissom couldn't help but think that Greg was on to something. After all, it was clear that this kidnapper _was _connected with the lawyer... maybe he had a case related reason for targeting Greg. Maybe Greg had been on to something before Leah got kidnapped. He shook his head. This was too much. In fact, they could all probably use a good night's sleep, though convincing Greg of that would be no easy task.

Greg knew that he needed sleep. They all did. But the thought of going home to his house, sleeping in his bed without Leah Emily on his chest, seeing her things everywhere… it would be too hard. He could always sleep at the lab. He decided on this and settled onto the couch, but was shaken by Nick as he began to doze.

"Greg…" Nick whispered. "You can't sleep here."

"I can't go home," Greg said softly, a tear rolling down his cheek. It seemed like he had cried more in the past day than he had in his whole life. And to think that not too long ago him and Nick had been joking about keeping their masculinity intact.

"I know," Nick assured him. "Come to my place. I have an extra room."

He smiled. "Thanks, but… I don't know if I can leave, if I can sleep. It's been almost twenty-four hours Nick. And you know what they say. 'If you don't find them in the first forty-eight hours, then you usually don't find them alive.'"

"Don't think that man," Nick said. "We will find her, safe. She'll be in your arms in no time. Now come on, come to my place with me and get some rest. We'll come back in a few hours and find her."

The next morning, everyone was anxious and there was something in the air that bothered Greg. He was pacing in front the playpen, feeling like they were missing something.

Grissom walked into the lab. "We have a lead." He said, a triumphant smile on his face. Everyone whipped around to look at him. "On the lawyer case." He finished.

Greg glared at him. "What are you trying to say Grissom?" He asked angrily.

"I'm saying that we should continue with the lawyer case."

Greg walked toward him. "Grissom. I don't care about the stupid lawyer. I care about my daughter."

All around the team spoke up in agreement with Greg, almost horrified that their supervisor would suggest such a thing.

Grissom held up his hand. "Let me explain. The cases are connected, so we need to concentrate on the lawyer case. We find the killer, we find the kidnapper."

"I already went back to the crime scene," Warrick protested. "There wasn't anything there to lead us anywhere."

"Because you weren't investigating the murder," Grissom explained. "I think we treat this like any other crime and solve the murder, we'll have Leah Emily."

"But Griss," Greg spoke up, his voice choked, "It's been over twenty-four hours. That gives us less than twenty-four until…" he couldn't finish the sentence.

"If you don't find them within the first forty-eight hours, you don't usually find them alive," Sara whispered, closing her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Greg was angry

Greg was angry. There was no other word for it. How _dare _Grissom even think about that stupid lawyer? He looked up at Grissom. Grissom met his less than friendly stare with a calm one of his own. Greg stood and went to the door. "I'm going to need a warrant Grissom." He said, venom in his voice.

Grissom smiled. "Come on team. We have a murder to solve."

It was a good lead, Greg decided as Sara drove to the suspect's house. He was in no condition to drive. "What exactly did the DNA report say?" Sara asked, keeping her eyes on the road.

Greg looked up. "The hair found at the crime scene matches that of a Martin Lewis. He was the lawyer's financial advisor. But he's too old to be the Kidnapper." Greg finished with a sigh. _18 hours 30 minutes to go. _He shook away this thought.

Sara sighed and pulled up to the address. She frowned. She couldn't imagine a financial advisor living in this dump. Greg looked at her and shrugged. " Lets just get this over with."

Sara knocked on the door. "Mr. Lewis? Mr. Lewis, this is the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Open up."

An old, white-haired man opened the door. "Hello?"

"Mr. Lewis?" Sara asked, losing her harsh police voice for the most part. When the old man nodded, she introduced herself and her partner. "Mr. Lewis, I'm Sara Sidle and this is Greg Sanders. We're with the Crime Lab. May we come in?"

"Please do." The old man waved them in, and Greg knew that this was not his daughter's kidnapper. He didn't know how he knew, but he just _knew_. "How can I help you?" he asked kindly. "Please, sit down." He gestured towards the sofa and the CSI's sat.

"Did you know this man?" Sara asked, pulling out an autopsy photo of the dead lawyer.

"Ah, yes. Andy, Andy Marlow." He looked at Greg. "What happened to him?"

Greg swallowed the lump in his throat. "Mr. Lewis, do you mind if I look around?"

"Go ahead, go ahead," the old man complied as Sara filled him in on the murder and kidnapping.

As Greg looked around the room, he saw a photograph on the mantle of a middle-aged man that matched the description from the witness at the lab. "Who is this man?" he demanded, holding up the picture.

"My, my son," the old man said, clearly taken aback. "Why?"

Greg locked his eyes with Sara's. "I think he has my baby."

At once, she jumped up and went to her friend, putting a hand on his shoulder and staring at the picture.

Mr. Lewis looked confused. "Are you sure you have the right man? My son, Michael, he would never do something like that…" The old man stopped and thought.

"Sir, when was the last time you spoke to Michael?" Sara asked, her lips in a tight line.

Martin Lewis rubbed his chin. "Um… today is Wednesday? Well, I talked to him last week…"

Greg stood up and went to sit in front of the old man. Sara gave him a look, reminding him to keep his cool, and went and stood behind him, hands on his shoulders. "And this is strange for… Michael?" he asked, the name heavy on his tongue.

Mr. Lewis nodded. "Yes… he usually comes to visit me every Tuesday morning and calls the day before. This week he said he was busy and when I asked him what he was doing, he ignored me and said that he would call me once he got everything together."

Greg turned to Sara, a pleading look on his face. Was this their guy? It sure sounded like it. "Excuse us for a moment," he said quietly as Sara followed him down the hall. "We need to take him into questioning. We need phone records… things like that," Greg said, looking hopeful.

Sara nodded. She couldn't help but feel that they were closer to Leah Emily. Yet she knew they had a long way to go.

Greg felt so close yet so far away. They had a suspect, someone who might have Leah Emily. He was filled with rage for the guy, never before having given much thought to the _who_. And now, this Michael Lewis had surfaced. Someone who might've taken his baby away from him.

Before, he had been worried, but not exactly _scared._ And then, a gut-wrenching terror filled him, gripping him with icy cold fingers. "Sara," he gasped.

She turned to him, a stricken look on her face. "Greg, Greg, are you okay?" she asked, sounding panicked. She grabbed her friend's arm.

"Something's wrong," he choked.

**A/N: **Haha, a great cliffhanger! We are evil but I love it! Maybe now you people will review!! Are you worried? You should be!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Liked the last cliff hanger? Haha we are evil. This says why but you should still be worried. One really, really bad cliffie after this at least. Have fun!**

Sara looked at Greg, concern in her eyes. She didn't doubt him. After all her experience with children and parents she knew not to doubt this feeling that Greg had. Instead she tried to calm him down, because the look on his face was terrifying. "Greg. It's going to be okay. I believe you. I do. So why don't you go get the car started, I'm going to give Nick a call to take Mr. Lewis in for questioning, and then you can tell me what happened," she said slowly, talking to him as if she were talking to a young child. He grabbed the keys from her and ran out the door. "Mr. Lewis?" Sara asked as she turned to the confused man. "Something has come up. My partner and I need to go. I will make a call and some one from the LVPD will come to take you in for questioning. You have nothing to worry about." Mr. Lewis nodded. He had always been a man of justice, and this wasn't going to stop on account of his son doing something stupid.

In the Denali, Greg could hardly even think straight. He gasped and panted and tried to hold himself together as Sara rubbed his back. "Something is wrong Sara," he choked. "I don't know what, but..." He sobbed. "Whoever has her wants to hurt her."

She hugged him as tightly as she could. Greg had been one of her best friends for a long time, and it hurt her to see him like this. "We will find her Greg. She will be back in your arms. I promise."

"Everyone keeps saying that," he cried. "But she's still out there, and now there's something wrong."

"Greg, Greg," she soothed, crying herself now.

Nick and Warrick went to interrogate Mr. Lewis while Grissom, Sara, and Greg tried to figure out what Greg had felt. It didn't take very long. Grissom was pacing around the room, eyes dark. Sara was trying to think, but the pacing was annoying. A loud beeping noise snapped them out of these thoughts. It was Greg's computer. He had a new message, sender unknown. Greg frowned, he had a _very _good idea who this was from, and by the looks of it, so did everyone else. He looked to Grissom who nodded mutely.  
"_120, 000 dollars. That's how much Marlow owed me, and now it's the price on your daughter's head. The dock. 7:30. Or I hope your daughter knows how to swim. - Guess who."_

Greg was in shock. He read the short paragraph and his hands started shaking. Sara and

Grissom read over his shoulder. Sara gasped and a tear went down her face. Grissom's mouth pulled into an even tighter line. "Sara. Go tell Archie to trace this email. Greg, we're going to tell the others, then go to the dock." When Greg and Sara didn't move, Grissom pulled Greg up and gave Sara a light push to the door. "NOW." He said sternly.

Greg followed Grissom almost robotically. 120,000 dollars was as much as his house, but he would give whatever it took for Leah Emily.

Nick was coming out of interrogation when he spotted his friend and supervisor. "Greg?" he asked. "Everything okay?"

Greg silently held up the email.

"Whoa." Nick was taken aback. "Hey man, you need more money, I'll give you however much you need. At least we know she's still alive, and we're getting her back."

"Thanks," Greg said sincerely.

"Hey, Nick, can you pass around the message?" Grissom asked.

Nick smiled. "Sure. And Greg, you need anything, call me."

"Sure," Greg answered. He knew he could count on the lab as his family. His and Leah Emily's family.

**A/N: OMG!! That's all I'm gonna say.**


	8. Chapter 8

Grissom told the team the plan

Grissom told the team the plan. They would need someone to stay back and figure out why Marlow owed Michael money (Wendy traced the email back to a computer in the New York Library under the card of Michael Lewis), someone to come with Greg and Grissom to the dock, and someone to go call backup. "I'll go with you." Wendy and Sara offered at the same time.

Wendy shook her head. "No, Sara, you deal with the money problem. You're good at talking to people and you would be better at that type of thing." Everyone agreed with Wendy's logic, and they knew she had personal reasons for going.

Catherine looked at Wendy and Greg. "I'll come too."

Grissom shook his head. "No! Catherine, you're staying here and calling back up with Warrick," he said firmly. Sara shot him a questioning look.

In the end, it was decided that Grissom, Greg, and Wendy would go down to the dock with the bag full of fake money, Sara would look into the money thing, and Catherine and Warrick would go through the FBI and the PD and the rest of the alphabet for backup.

Greg looked at his friends. His family. They were putting their lives in danger for his little baby. But Leah Emily was all of theirs. She was _their_ little baby.

Grissom drove to the dock, Brass in the passenger seat and Greg and Wendy in the back seat. Greg was shaking slightly and holding Wendy's hand. When the dock came in view, he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'll stay here," Grissom said, cocking his gun as Brass nodded and took out handcuffs. Greg and Wendy got up cautiously, Wendy holding the moneybag.

"You remember the plan?" Brass asked.

Wendy nodded and did all she could to make herself cry, even though given the current situation, this was quite easy. "I'm the distraught mother," she sniffed.

"And I'm the father who got too close," Greg answered. Wendy had been employed to be the mother for both appearance and distraction purposes. Greg squeezed Wendy's shoulders. "Ready, honey?"

She forced a few more tears. "Ready, dear." She smiled and then frowned, the two of them walking toward the dock.

Michael Lewis was around Nick's age; Greg decided as he studied the man they were approaching. He had dark blonde hair and his eyes were dark. Hatred surged through Greg as he looked in those cold eyes. Finally, he tore his eyes away from the man and brought them to the bundle in his arms. He prayed that his little girl was alive. And as the bundle stirred, hope flooded Greg. Wendy looped her arm through Greg's, tears staining her cheeks. They slowly approached the man, stopping 20 feet from him.

"Michael Lewis?" Greg asked, anger hiding behind his words. The man ignored Greg.

"The money?" He asked.

"The baby." Wendy whispered hoarsely. "Please give me my baby."

Lewis sighed mockingly. "Last chance. Give me the money." He didn't care. He didn't care about life, death or anything. He didn't care about Leah Emily. Or her family, or his own family for that matter. In those six words Greg understood. Michael cared about one thing. Money. That was all that mattered. And it made Greg feel sick.  
Greg looked to Lewis, then to Brass, then to Wendy, and finally to Leah Emily. He grabbed the duffel bag and threw it to Lewis. It landed by his feet. Still holding Leah Emily, Michael opened the bag full of counterfeit money and counted it. Obviously he couldn't tell that the money was fake, because he gave a satisfied smirk, and stood. Then he looked at the bundle in his arms carelessly and threw it in the river.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: As Chris (Whom we love) said… "OMG not the baby!" And then I said, "OMG yes the baby!" So yeah. I know you're dying to know what happens. So read. And give us a review. You know the drill. So here we go. 3…2 (Are you on the edge of your seat people? You should be!)…1…Here you go!**

Greg didn't even blink before leaping into the water after his baby, only one thing on his mind: Getting her safe in his arms again.

…..

Grissom and Brass jumped out of the SUV and ran faster than anyone could think possible for the two older men. Grissom ran to the end of the dock by the frozen Wendy and watched the water intently, willing his youngest CSI and Leah Emily safety. Brass cuffed Michael Lewis before the kidnapper could even turn around and didn't even bother to read him his rights. Lewis was going to jail for a long, long time.

Wendy was frozen in place, tears sliding down her cheeks. She didn't even want to think about what to happen if Greg couldn't find Leah Emily, if he was too late. She stared intently into the water, waiting, tortured. She gasped when Greg came up and choked when he went back under, still searching. She was so tempted to jump into the water herself. And she did.

…..

Greg swam around frantically, groping around for Leah Emily. He _had _to find her. Giving up was _not _an option.

His lungs felt they were about to explode, and so he surfaced and sucked in a chest full of air, knowing time was running out.

He heard a splash and spun around, coming face to face with the dark shape of Wendy. He motioned for her to come up, and he spoke fast.

"Wendy, no! Get back up there now!"

"Greg, I want to help," she insisted.

"I can't lose you too," he whispered.

"We don't have time," she said, diving back under. Greg, frantic again, did the same.

Their hands brushed, and as they recoiled to search more, they found a warm, still bundle. Greg quickly grabbed it and kicked as hard as he could to the surface. "Take her!" he shouted to Grissom as he reached the top, handing Leah Emily up to the man.

Grissom unwrapped the baby as fast as he could, Greg climbing up the dock with a quickness produced from his full determination. He grabbed Leah Emily from his supervisor, shedding a tear at how still she was.

As Grissom helped Wendy up and lent her his jacket, Greg performed CPR on his daughter when he saw she wasn't breathing and Brass shouted something about medic ETA five minutes.

But five minutes could be too long. She could have been underwater too long. It was likely she had brain damage.

No it wasn't. It couldn't be. Greg cleared his head of these thoughts as he worked faster, desperate, tears sliding down his cheeks.

And then she coughed. It was the most wonderful sound Greg had ever heard in his entire life. She was alive, she was alive and she was breathing. And he looked at her and could tell, he just _knew,_ she didn't have brain damage. She was still his Leah Emily.

He clutched her to his chest, hugging her as tight as he could. Wendy raced over and put her arms around both of them. And Leah Emily hugged back. She knew she was safe. She knew her family. She was eighteen months old and she knew.

Sirens wailed close by, paramedics grabbing the baby and loading her into the ambulance. Greg put his arm around Wendy and she whispered, "I'm going."

"I know. And I'm happy." More sirens were heard in the background, and Greg turned around. "But there's one more thing I have to do." He walked right up to Michael Lewis and punched him in the face with all his strength. "That's for my baby." He took Wendy's hand and the couple stepped into the ambulance with Leah Emily as the kidnapper was loaded into a police squad car.

…..

Greg and Wendy sat together in Leah Emily's hospital room, side by side, holding hands.

"I am so glad that we found her Greg. I am so glad she's alive." Wendy whispered as she looked at the baby's sleeping figure. The young girl had dark circles under her eyes, and Greg knew that the situation had been scary and stressful for her too. He knew that she knew Michael Lewis was a bad man, and he was just glad that she was smart enough to figure this out.

"Me too Wendy. Me too." Greg replied. They sat in silence for a while before Greg spoke again. Wendy just listened. "You know, I have never been more scared than in those hours that Leah Emily was gone. I felt…I felt like if she were gone…a piece of me would be gone too. And I've never felt that way about anyone. Anyone else. Except you." He admitted frankly.

Wendy managed to smile at him, though her tears made that a bit difficult. "Leah Emily…when she disappeared, I kept thinking, I have to get Greg through this, it's what he would do for me. And I'm glad I did, because now I know…now I know that I was right."

Greg put his arms around her and hugged her. "Thank you. For being there." And then he kissed her, right there in front of his daughter's hospital bed. He put in everything he felt for her, all the love he had. And he did love her.

She looked up at him with shocked big brown eyes when they stopped. She was so beautiful. And then she smiled.

"I love you Wendy," Greg whispered into her ear.

She kissed his cheek. "I love you too."

**A/N: AWWW!! Heehee are we not freakin amazing? You know we are. So just leave us a little review telling us what you think… Come on people, the button's right there, just dying to be pushed! It's not hard! Come on. You can do it. **


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